Promises
by soraoathkeeper
Summary: Before the Heartless came, three promises were made. One was broken, one was forgotten and one was undetermined. Now, they promise to find each other. Will this promise last? Will they fulfill their promises to each other? Chapter 8 up as of July 7th, 04!
1. A Promise Made: Protection

Promises  
  
A Promise Made ~1~ Protection  
  
"Hiya Riku!"  
  
He turns around.  
  
"Hi Sora."  
  
They sit side by side, dreaming.  
  
"Where have you been Riku? Why haven't you been here playing with me? I was waiting and waiting, but you didn't come."  
  
The barest hint of a smile is on his lips.  
  
"I've been looking for you."  
  
The younger one looks at him quizzically.  
  
"But I was here all the time!"  
  
The older one shakes his head.  
  
"No you aren't. You are only a memory that comes in my dreams."  
  
His forehead wrinkles as he thinks about this answer.  
  
"You're making no sense, Riku!"  
  
The eldest chuckles.  
  
"Don't worry about it Sora. Just be happy for as long as you can."  
  
The other joins him, giggling, happy that he could make his friend laugh.  
  
"Okay!"  
  
They sit, side by side, in the sunset.  
  
"Riku?"  
  
He sits, enjoying the sunset.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
The smaller shifts uncomfortably.  
  
"Remember a long time ago, when I asked you to promise me something?"  
  
He turns to face him.  
  
"...No."  
  
A grin breaks out.  
  
"Well, then I'll tell you!"  
  
Unsure, the stronger one nods.  
  
"Alright."  
  
He asks.  
  
"Will you protect me? Forever and ever? Will you be my friend forever and ever?"  
  
Silver hair bobs as the boy dips his head in concentration.  
  
"I remember now."  
  
The younger boy stares at the older contently.  
  
"Well, then, will you keep your promise?"  
  
Aqua eyes stare.  
  
"I will."  
  
Blue eyes shine.  
  
" Promise?"  
  
"...I promise."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
In the dark, someone awakes.  
  
And the promise that was made was soon to be fulfilled. 


	2. A Promise Made: Trust

Promises  
  
A Promise Made ~2~ Trust  
  
"Kairi!"  
  
The young boy waves.  
  
"Hi Sora!"  
  
The young girl runs to catch up with him.  
  
"What took you so long Kairi?"  
  
But no matter how hard she runs, she can't catch up.  
  
"Where are you going Sora?"  
  
The girl stops, tears streaming down her face.  
  
"I'm off to see other worlds!"  
  
The boy's smile beams so brightly it overwhelms the sun.  
  
"No Sora! Stay here with me!"  
  
He pauses.  
  
"I can't Kairi."  
  
She reaches out for him.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
Spiky hair bobs.  
  
"Because you don't trust me."  
  
The girl cries to the sky.  
  
"What more do you want from me!!!"  
  
The boy draws closer.  
  
"I want you to promise me something."  
  
The girl steps further, but to no avail.  
  
"Anything!"  
  
The boy embraces her, whispering into her ear.  
  
"Promise me that you will trust me."  
  
The girl sobs on his shoulder.  
  
"I promise."  
  
The boy releases her.  
  
"Don't worry."  
  
The girl looks up trustingly as he fades away.  
  
"I will always be right here next to you."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Far away on the island of different skies, the oceans of different waters, somebody walks.  
  
And the promise that was made was soon to be broken. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I got my first review!!!*dances around*  
  
~Aya-Katsera~  
  
Thanks so much for the review! ^_____^ I'm glad that you like this story. Here's your second chapter! I hope you liked it!  
You get a Promise Wishband! It looks sort of like this. ~*~*~*~ Make a wish!  
  
Okay now, can I please have 5 reviews before I do the next chapter? Please?  
  
*~Soraoathkeeper~* 


	3. A Promise Made: Change

"Sora!"  
  
He turned to see his two best friends on the beach.  
  
"Hi guys!"  
  
The girl giggled, and the boy chuckled.  
  
"Hey Sora."  
  
They watch the sun go down as they discuss the day's events.  
  
"So, what are we going to do today?"  
  
His friends watch him closely.  
  
"Have you forgotten?"  
  
He looks at them strangely.  
  
"What?"  
  
All of a sudden, he is falling into darkness.  
  
"Your promise."  
  
The girl's face rises from the depths.  
  
"Kairi!"  
  
She disappears.  
  
"You were supposed to come back to me. I waited and waited for you, but you never came."  
  
He thrashes against some invisible force holding him down.  
  
"I'm trying! But I have to-"  
  
The boy's voice was drowned out by another.  
  
"Because of you, I chose the darkness. Because of you, the creator of heartless possessed me. Because of you, I'm trapped behind the Door. Yet you have done nothing to save me."  
  
Blue eyes widen and plead s the accusations echo over and over.  
  
"What do you think I've been doing-"  
  
A vortex of swirling purple and black energy dragged the boy down, drowning out his cries.  
  
"Help!!!"  
  
Abruptly it stopped, and the boy found himself back on his island at the dock with the girl.  
  
"Sora, let's take the raft and go, just the two of us!"  
  
He sees himself look at her peculiarly.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
The girl laughs.  
  
"Just kidding."  
  
The boy relaxes.  
  
"What's gotten into you? You're the one that changed Kairi."  
  
The girl stares into the sunset.  
  
"Maybe. You know, I was a little afraid at first, but now I'm ready.  
  
No matter where I go or what I see, I know I can always come back here. Right?"  
  
He glances at her, puzzled.  
  
"Yeah, of course!"  
  
She smiles at him.  
  
"That's good... Sora, don't ever change."  
  
As the darkness swallows him up, the boy smiles.  
  
"I won't."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
And somewhere on the road, somebody screams.  
  
And the promise that was made was soon to be determined. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~{REVIEWS}~  
  
Okay, I have 2 more reviews. I guess the 5-review thingy didn't work, but it was just an experiment anyhow.  
  
~Mathew~  
  
Ummm, first of all, I'm just getting started! This is the prologue you know. I'm giving info before I get into the story. Anyway, this isn't my first story, it's my second, and the story so far is supposed to be in italics, to give it a dreamy, mysterious feel, (darn you FF.net) and the 5 reviews a chapter seems to work for other authors, and this is the first time I've tried it. Bottom line is, if you don't like it, don't read it. But I thank you for your honest opinion.  
You get soda!  
  
~Heather Christi~  
  
I probably won't do anymore of the 5-reviews thingies. And since the next chapter is where the action starts, hopefully the chapters will be longer. As to your question, this will be a Sora/Riku AND a Sora/Kairi fic. It's more like how they relate to each other. However, there will probably be no Riku/Kairi moments. I don't know. We'll see.  
You get pizza!  
  
~{UPDATES}~  
  
Okay people, the prologue is over! In the next chapters, we will actually get on with the story and (hopefully) get some action going.  
  
This is actually my 2nd story. My 1st story is Sky Blue Eyes, and they re just letters from various characters in KH to Sora.  
  
This story is Sora/Riku and Sora/Kairi. Sorry, this is not a Riku/Kairi fic.  
  
Next chapter is Another Side, Another Story, and some of Deep Dive. I'm trying to fit this in with the story, so I might leave some things out.  
  
Thanks for everyone who reads this. I hope you like it!  
  
~Soraoathkeeper~ 


	4. A Promised Journey: Behind the Door

All right the action begins! Now before I begin, I want to say that this chapter only has the background in it, the characters are..., changed, so to speak. Now, before I give it away, let's begin.  
  
~{KEY}~  
  
[Heartless speaking] {Thoughts} /Song lyrics/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Riku woke up.  
  
Of course, the only way to know that you are really awake on the other side of the door is to touch your eyelids to see if our eyes are open or not, and that might prove very painful.  
  
Luckily for Riku, his eyes had adjusted t the darkness quickly, so he could semi-see in the gloom. What that meant, he did not know.  
  
He sat up. He had had a dream so real it seemed to be true. It had been about a boy..., called Sora...  
  
Riku quickly slammed the door on these thoughts. They were not to be thought of. He did not know why, only that they would bring sorrow.  
  
And Riku did not want to feel any emotions.  
  
It was better this way, he reflected as he stood up. Emotions were weak and he was better off without them.  
  
But that was not the real reason Riku locked his feelings way the real reason was because they brought a creature that fed on anger, grief and most of all, fear.  
  
Heartless.  
  
Riku began to walk in the darkness. He had always been a wanderer. He was looking for something here, for what he did not know; only that he would keep looking until he did. He did not remember anything before this dismal place. The only things he had were these dreams....  
  
Riku locked his thoughts away as he continued to walk. He had seen city lights last night, well, before he went to sleep at any rate. You couldn't tell night from day here. He wanted to investigate it. Maybe he could get some food there, maybe even find what he was looking for, get a good nights sleep, unlike last night's nightmare....  
  
Trying to shake these thoughts out of his head, he continued.  
  
Soon, he came upon the city. He looked around warily. Most of the cities here were deserted, its inhabitants long gone, or long turned into Heartless, but you never know. Besides, just because it was a city doesn't mean that it was free from the Heartless.  
  
High above, someone watched.  
  
The familiar sound of Heartless appearing shook Riku out of his thoughts. Turning, he glanced at them.  
  
And stared. There was a whole hoard of them! They were a type that Riku had never seen before. They seemed related to your average Shadow, but they were taller and stood upright. Their antennas reached all the way down to their feet. The Heartless squirmed and wiggled, eager for another heart to devour. They sensed his fear and amazement and began to advance.  
  
Quickly, Riku hid his emotions. {Curse you boy.} he thought before he prepared to attack, certain that the thought of the boy awoke the Heartless.  
  
Riku summoned his only weapon that he had to protect himself with. Two Keyblades appeared in his hands. One was scarlet with thorny vines that twisted around the weapon. Four needle sharp spikes grew on either side of the end of Keyblade. A withered black rose hung from a chain behind the handle. The other was pure black, and was decorated profusely (AN: think Dark Ultima Keyblade). On the top of this blade, a black heart hung.  
  
His enemies hissed in fear and hate.  
  
[Keyblade...]  
  
Riku braced himself.  
  
The Heartless charged.  
  
Riku gripped his Keyblades tightly and slashed into the first few Heartless that ran up. They fell and their brothers took their place. He took 2 steps backwards and cast Gravity on them. 3 Heartless disappeared. Swinging his Keyblades around, Riku took out another 4. Hacking and slicing the creatures all around him, Riku became a machine of death.  
  
Far above the ground, a man stood.  
  
/Come and feel my blade of death, Who will put your mind and body to rest. Do not worry there will be enough for all, Come one come all to my singing swords call.  
  
You are all prey to my blade, Do your best before you fade. Go ahead and kill me if you dare For I am one who slays without a care.  
  
Give it all you got; there will be no second try. Inflect your wounds before you die. Suffer the kiss of my razor steel. For that will be the only thing you feel/  
  
Riku had fought as hard as he could, but soon, sheer numbers had begun to overwhelm him. The Heartless, sensing him weakening had become more frenzied, their eyes glowing with the promise off a meal.  
  
He looked up as a few Heartless jump in the air.  
  
Riku sprang up from the ground, Keyblades crossed in front of his chest.  
  
"Thundaga!!!"  
  
Black lightning erupted from the crossed Keyblades, shattering the jumping Heartless. Riku took out some Heartless as he landed on his feet. He severed heads and bodies as he returned to the thick of battle.  
  
Towering above, a man looks up  
  
He howled in agony as a sharp claw from behind left a deep gash in his shoulder. Holding his Keyblades out in front of him, he spun at a 360- degree angle, momentarily clearing the Heartless. Riku sprinted down an ally, hoping to get way from the beasts. The Heartless followed.  
  
On top of a building, a blindfolded man indicated the sky as meteors streak across.  
  
Riku continued to run. He reached the end of the alleyway, only to find that it was a dead end. Cursing, he turned round, not going to go down with out a fight.  
  
And high above, somebody gestured.  
  
Riku stared in amazement as a symbol enclosed round him, and the Heartless who had been chasing him disappeared. Looking closer, he saw that the shape looked familiar, like a heart of some kind. Frowning he stood up.  
  
"It's the symbol of the Heartless."  
  
Riku whirled around. A man about his height with silver hair and a blindfold round his eyes leaned against one of the alley's brick walls.  
  
"You made this?" Riku gestured to the glowing white symbol.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Riku turned his back on the mysterious man. "I don't need your help."  
  
The man laughed. "Oh, you'll need my help Riku. That is, if you ever want to get out of here and find Sora you will."  
  
Riku slowly turned back around. "You can do that?"  
  
"I can do more than you can imagine. Or maybe not." The man laughed again.  
  
Riku ignored that last comment. His mind was focused on the "I can get you out of here" part.  
  
"All right, fine, I'll go with you. But what's the catch?"  
  
The man chuckled. "That is very like you, Riku. There is no catch. But once we get out of this place, you're on our own. Well, maybe not."  
  
"Okay, but what is your name?"  
  
"Names are not important, for who is to say that names cannot change?"  
  
Riku was getting confused and frustrated by this persons way of talking in riddles. "What do I call you then?"  
  
The man regarded him. "It is not my real name, but you can call me Ukirmai. Ukir for short."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~{AUTHOR'S NOTE}~  
  
Well, how did you like it? I was trying to spice it up a little. Next though, will be from Kairi's point of view, so not much action there. Oh, and gain, I purposely made the characters this way.  
  
~{Disclaimer}~  
  
Whoops, forget to do this for the last few chapters. I d not own Kingdom Hearts, but I do own the promise scenes (except for the "Don't ever change" Kairi scene) and I own all my VERSIONS of the characters. Oh, and I own that death poem/song. Sorry if it sucked, I just made it up.  
  
~{REVIEWS}~  
  
Yay!!! Reviews!!!  
  
~Chibidragon7~  
  
Yeah, it was supposed to be mysterious, but I guess it came out confusing. Basically though, all it was were scenes from Riku, Kairi and Sora's dreams that reminded them about a promise that in turn made them undertake a journey. But thank you for the praise, and I hope that you like this chapter!  
You get the jacket that Riku wears in this chapter! (You know, the big long raincoat like in Another Side, Another Story?)  
  
~Dark-flamin-storm~  
  
Thank you for the wonderful compliment, I am trying to improve on this. I hoped you liked this chapter.  
You get a neo-heartless doll! (the ones in the story)  
  
Thank you to all that read and all that reviewed.  
  
~{UPDATES}~  
First of all, I am new to writing a battle, so sorry if you didn't like it.  
  
Second of all, I have to go to this school thing tomorrow (because school starts on September 2nd) that gives me my school list, so I might not update tomorrow.  
  
And thirdly, I will be going on vacation to Hawaii from 26th or 27th to the 30th, so I won't be updating during that time.  
  
Hope you enjoyed this chapter.  
  
~Soraoathkeeper~ 


	5. A Promised Journey: On an Island of Diff...

Well, what do you know? I had enough time to do this yesterday! But my computer crashed afterward, and my Internet was down after I did get my computer up, so I didn't have time to put it up! Okay, so you know this is from Kairi's point of view, so not much action. Here we go!  
  
~{KEY}~  
  
{Thoughts} ~Mysterious Voice~ /Song Lyrics/  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kairi walked on the beach, looking up at the stars. She was heading to the Secret Place. She went there everyday now, ever since Sora had gone. It made here feel closer, somehow, to the real world. Here she was, on a tiny island with no contact with the outside world, not knowing whether the Heartless had come back, not knowing whether all the Keyholes had been sealed, not knowing whether Riku had been rescued...  
  
Kairi tried to focus on the task at hand. Thinking about the outside world only made her feel frustrated and sorry for herself. Why did she always have to be the damsel in distress, always waiting for somebody else to rescue her? It just made her so upset to be so helpless. She could help too, she knew she could! She was tired of being to one to be taken care of.  
  
{Not anymore.}, Kairi thought grimly. Ever since she had come back, she had been learning to use magic. Before, when she was at Transverse Town after being rescued at Hollow Bastion by Sora, Aerith had said that since she was a Princess of Heart, she probably had some type of magical power. But she hadn't had time to try it out.  
  
{Well, now I have all the time in the world.} And this was true. Sora had promised to return to her, and until then she could train until she was a master at magic.  
  
Or, at least until she could protect herself.  
  
By now, Kairi had finally arrived at the Heart of Destiny Islands, the Secret Place. The other reason she had gone here is because she had seen meteors today, streaking across the sky. She remembered somebody telling her that that meant that the walls were down,... and that the Heartless were back.  
  
She trailed her fingers along the familiar drawing of her childhood, smiling faintly at the memories each of them brought.  
  
Finally, she came upon her favorite picture. It portrayed a spiky haired boy's face in profile, smiling at a shorthaired girl. In between them were two star-shaped fruit. Apparently, the boy was giving the girl the fruit, and the girl was returning the favor. This sketch was very crude, more like one that you would find on somebody's fridge, but Kairi treasured it dearly.  
  
Sitting there gazing at the image made Kairi feel quite drowsy. She dropped off to sleep.  
  
(A/N: This is where Kairi has her dream.)  
  
/I'm Standing on a bridge  
  
I'm waiting' in the dark  
  
I thought that you'd be here by now  
  
There's nothing but the rain  
  
No footsteps on the ground  
  
I'm listening but there's no sound  
  
Isn't anyone trying' to find me?  
  
Won't somebody come take me home  
  
It's a damn cold night  
  
Trying to figure out this life  
  
Wont you take me by the hand  
  
take me somewhere new  
  
I don't know who you are  
  
but I... I'm with you  
  
I'm looking for a place  
  
searching for a face  
  
is anybody here I know  
  
'cause nothings going right  
  
and everything's a mess  
  
and no one likes to be alone  
  
Isn't anyone trying' to find me?  
  
Won't somebody come take me home  
  
It's a damn cold night  
  
Trying to figure out this life  
  
Won't you take me by the hand  
  
take me somewhere new  
  
I don't know who you are  
  
but I.....I'm with you  
  
Oh why is everything so confusing  
  
maybe I'm just out of my mind  
  
yea yea yea  
  
It's a damn cold night  
  
Trying to figure out this life  
  
Won't you take me by the hand  
  
take me somewhere new  
  
I don't know who you are  
  
but I... I'm with you  
  
Take me by the hand  
  
take me somewhere new  
  
I don't know who you are  
  
but I....I'm with you  
  
I'm with you  
  
Take me by the hand, Take me somewhere new  
  
I don't know who you are  
  
but I....I'm with you  
  
I'm with you  
  
I'm with you.../  
  
Kairi yawned and stretched. She had had a dream so lifelike, it seemed like it was real. Sora had asked her to trust him, to wait...  
  
No. She wasn't going to wait this time for someone to rescue her again. She was going to find him, and Riku too.  
  
Just as these thoughts were running through her head, the wooden door that had always rested, dormant and uninteresting, began to glow. A large decorative white handle appeared.  
  
A single word ran through her head.  
  
~Go.~  
  
She walked in to the light.  
  
{When I find them, we'll go together.}  
  
{And this time, I'll fight.}  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~{AUTHOR'S NOTE}~  
  
And so, Kairi begins her journey to find her friends.  
  
Like I said, not much action here. But next is Sora's POV, so hopefully, he will be thrashing some Heartless then.  
  
Oh yeah, and the song is 'Turn the Clock Around' by Mandy Moore. I don't own it, in case you couldn't tell.  
  
~{DISCLAIMER}~  
  
Ditto last time.  
  
~{REVIEWS}~  
  
More reviewers! I am sooooo happy!  
  
~Heather Christi~  
  
I am sooooo sorry that I didn't give you a prize for reviewing last time. My Reviewer-Alert thingy hasn't been working right, so today you get 2 prizes!  
  
Anyway, if I don't change plans, Kairi will actually be killing some Heartless. Watch out Riku, move aside Sora, it's Kairi! Anyway, yeah, I hope to have a fun time! ^____^  
  
You get a Magician's Staff! Violetta? Save the Queen? You name it!  
  
You also get a drawing of the Sora/Kairi sketch!  
  
~Diable-enfant~  
  
It's my good friend! I'm glad that you like it so far!  
  
You get a Destiny Islands Holoplay! Comes in a little capsule, throw it on the ground, and Destin Islands comes to life around you! Great for getting out of your chores!  
  
Thanks to all!  
  
~{UPDATES}~  
  
None so far!  
  
Sayonara!!!  
  
~Soraoathkeeper~ 


	6. A Promised Journey: Between the Crossroa...

Soraoathkeeper: Hi everybody! Miss me? *****looks around* Where is everybody? 

(Ghosts of former reviewers pop up all around her)

Ghosts: Weeeee haaaave goooone tooooo theeee unnnnderwoorld. Weeeee goooot tiiiiireeeed oooooof waaaaiitng foooooor yooooou tooooo updaaaaaate, sooooo weeeeeeee haaaaveeee moooooved ooon. (Translation: We have gone to the underworld. We got tired of waiting for you to update, so we have moved on.)

(Soraoathkeeper summons her Keyblade to defend herself)

Soraoathkeeper: Nooooo! Stop! Don't leave me! Wait! Come back! I was busy and sick! I had this horrible disease called *gasp* WRITER'S BLOCK!

(Cut to a TV where a woman screams while Godzilla smashed buildings in the background)

Woman: AHHHHHHHH!!!!!

(Cut back to the stage)

Soraoathkeeper: (in salesperson's voice) For more information, please read the Author's Note and Updates at the end of this chapter. (in overly excited cheerleader voice) I even have a special surprise for you! Trust me, you don't want to miss it!

(Ghosts get up to go to the Author's Note and Update section at the end of the chapter)

Soraoathkeeper: **_AFTER_** you read the chapter.

(Ghost start to protest, but take one look at Soraoathkeeper, who has her bow and her favorite Keyblades out and is glaring at them, and sit right back down) 

Soraoathkeeper: *beams* Good! Now sit back and enjoy!

(Walks off and starts typing)

(Behind the curtain, Chibi Riku, Chibi Jack Sparrow, Chibi Kairi, Chibi Sora, Chibi Ranma, Chibi Akane and Chibi Ansem all sit. Chibi Ansem turns off the projector that made the ghosts and Chibi Kairi goes to get popcorn and drinks)

Chibi Riku: We're lucky that Soraoathkeeper's so stupid that she didn't see that the ghosts were fake.

Chibi Sora: *watches Chibi Kairi make popcorn while drooling* Yep.

Chibi Akane: We're lucky that Ansem found this old projector. 

Chibi Sora: Yep.

(Chibi Kairi comes back with popcorn and drinks and starts handing them out)

Chibi Kairi: *smiles at Chibi Jack Sparrow as she hands him some popcorn* We're lucky that Jack was so good at imitating voices that he managed to convince Soraoathkeeper that the ghost were real.

(Chibi Ansem growls under his breath that sounds strangely like "……he's lucky that I'm too far away to throttle him.")

Chibi Sora: Yep.

Chibi Riku: We're lucky that Sora's so dumb so that we can pick on him.

Chibi Sora: Ye-hey, what did you just say?

Chibi Riku: Nothing. Give me some water, will ya Kairi?  

(Chibi Kairi gives him some water. Chibi Riku quietly stands up and sneaks up behind Chibi Ranma, who is throwing popcorn into his mouth and catching it while reading the chapter. Quickly, Chibi Riku dumps the ice-cold water all over Chibi Ranma and runs for his life)

Chibi Ranma: *looks down at his, err her, body*………RIKU!!!!

(Chibi Ranma runs after Chibi Riku. Chibi Riku hides behind a wall. He peeks around the corner and see no one. Chibi Riku sighs. All of a sudden, someone taps him on the shoulder. Slowly he turns around………………)

Soraoathkeeper: Hiya Riku! Whatchya doing?

Chibi Riku: *clutches his heart* Oh, it's _you_………geez, you almost gave me a heart attack!

Soraoathkeeper: Oh. Well, see ya! *walks off*

Chibi Riku: What was all that about?

(He turns back around. Another hand taps him on the shoulder)

Chibi Riku: Not now Soraoathkeeper!

(The tapping continues. Finally Chibi Riku turns around……….)

Chibi Riku: _Now_ what is it?

(………to see the smirking face of Chibi Ranma)

Chibi Ranma: ……………… *cracks her knuckles*

Chibi Riku: …………………AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Okay, this will be a fairly short chapter. Or, at least, I hope it will be. Sometimes, I get so caught up in my writing, I forget how long the chapter is, and well, it turns out to be REALLY long. Take my last chapter on Sacrifice for example. I decided to make the chapter a little 3-page prelude to what's going to happen. Well, guess what? It turned out to be a 13-page thing! Needless to say, I was burned out and surprised. My answer to this went something like "………………geez, I wonder why I feel so tired. I mean I only wrote………one………two………three………………THIRTEEN PAGES! OH MY GOD!" My reply to this thirteen pager was cut short as my head fell onto the keyboard, asleep. Oh well. I guess it's better for the reviewers!

Anyway, this is just a little teaser for what's going to be happening to Sora. So-

Chibi Riku: AHHHHH! Soraoathkeeper, help me! 

Soraoathkeeper: What is it now?

Chibi Ranma: I'll get you for that Riku!

Soraoathkeeper: What did you do this time?

Chibi Riku: Nothing! I was just enthralled by Chibi Ranma's aquatransexual aptitude! That's all!

Chibi Ranma: Translation: He poured cold water over me while I was reading the chapter!

Soraoathkeeper: You've been hanging around Ansem too much Riku.

Chibi Riku: HELP!

Soraoathkeeper: Okay! *runs into the fight and starts beating up Chibi Riku* 

Chibi Riku: What are you doing?! Hey, that hurts! You're supposed to be helping me, not hurting me! 

Soraoathkeeper: But I am helping you! I'm teaching you not to splash cold water on Ranma!

Chibi Ranma: Yeah!

Well, enjoy the chapter! I have to go beat Riku up, so bye!

_{Thoughts}_

**_[Mysterious Voice]_**

"Speaking (duh)"

(???)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sora looked up at the starry sky. He was laying down in his sleeping bag, listening to the wind howl around him. The soft shush of his companions' snores faded in and out as the night wore on. It was only he, alone and awake in the darkness. He smiled sadly. Funny how that was. His was a heart of light, not quite as pure as Kairi's but not as dark as Riku's. On the outside he might be childish, naïve and optimistic, but the inside was different. He may be a Keybearer, but he wasn't immune to the effects of the dark. His heart is light, but there was still a little seed of darkness inside. 

Because no light can exist without darkness to balance it out.

It seemed to Sora that it was only he who understood this. Everyone wanted to banish the darkness and keep only the light, but they didn't understand that the light has to have darkness. The Keyblade was an example of the balance between light and dark. It could be used for the forces of good, such as saving the world. However, it could also be used as a tool of the dark and create chaos in the world. When Ansem came, he upset the already delicate balance between light and dark. If there even was a balance.     

**_(Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of light. Everyone loved the light. Then people began to fight over it. They wanted to keep it for themselves. And darkness was born in their hearts. The darkness spread, swallowing the light and many people's hearts. It covered everything, and the world disappeared. But small fragments of light survived………in the hearts of children. With these fragments of light, children rebuilt the lost world. It's the world we live in now. But the true light sleeps, deep within the darkness. That's why the worlds are still scattered, divided from each other. But someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open. And the true light will return.) _**

Sora jolted upright. "Huh? Who said that?" He stood and looked around. "Where am I?"

He was standing in the middle of a crossroad. Four paths extended into different directions. In between these roads, there was………nothing. Just black and white fog, swirling up and down.

****

**_[Hello Sora.]_**

****

_{That voice………}_

**_[You have done well so far. But the door to the light is still sealed.]_**  

Sora looked around, trying to locate the where the voice was coming from. It seemed to be coming from everywhere. But it was he was the only one who could hear it, right? At Final Rest at the End of the World, it was he, not Donald, not Goofy, only he, who could hear it. So where was it coming from?

_{It sounds so………familiar. Like I've known it and heard it all my life………}_

[You now have four paths ahead of you. One leads your former life, free of all worries. Another, to true light and darkness. The third, the heart of all worlds. And the last leads to behind the door of Kingdom Hearts. ]

****

Sora slowly spun around, trying to see where the paths lead. But they meandered into the darkness, giving no hint to where they might go.

[The fate of the world rests once again in your hands. Only you can choose. Choose wisely, as your decision decides the outcome on all worlds and the universe as we know it.]

Sora looked up to the stars. Why did these decisions always come to him? All he wanted to be was the kid he had been on Destiny Islands. You know, compete against Riku and the other islanders, dream in the fading light of the sunset, talk and laugh with Kairi and eat dinner with his mom and dad. Be a carefree, fun-loving kid again.  He could choose the first path, and live life to its fullest. But if he did that, then others would be suffering, for the heartless would be somewhere in the other worlds. He couldn't just sit around while people were suffering. The second would lead him to true light. However, it would also lead him to true darkness. The heart of all worlds,………where would that be? Where all heartless were created maybe? And the last path………that would lead him to behind the door………where Riku is………

Sora came to his decision. He called out to the voice.

"I know what my decision is. I'm going to choose my own path. I don't know what is going to happen at the end, and I don't know where to start, but I'll trust my heart, and it will guide me."

**_[Is that your final decision?]_**

" Yes."

All at once, Sora began to rise up. He closed his eyes as he began to fly. Guided by some invisible force, he flew over the paths and in a flash of light, he was gone, flying over oceans and seas.

Sora's destiny, and the fate of the entire universe, is still undecided.  

All we can do now is hope.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~{AUTHOR'S NOTE}~

And we are back to Riku's POV. Sorry for the delay. I'm trying a new schedule for my fics. The first two weeks of the month I work on Sacrifice, my Ayashi no Ceres fic, and the other two weeks I work on Promises. So hopefully, I will be updating every month. 

Okay, so this chapter is pretty short. It took me a long time too. I don't really have a rough draft of any of my chapters. And this chapter was sorta like a jumpstart for Sora's journey. I also had to get in depth here, with the crossroads and light and dark. That required a lot of thinking.

Chibi Riku: *pops up* Which she doesn't do very often.

Be quiet Riku. Anyway, I would like to give a BIG thank you to The Ansem Report (the website). It's a really great site with theories about KH2 and stuff. So ARIGATO GOZAIMASU!!! 

Speaking of KH2, I have some great news for all Khers out there!

Chibi Jack Sparrow: Is that even a word?

It is now. KH2 is being made! And I have some details!

All: YAY!

Yeah, I know! I subscribe to Electronic Gaming Monthly, and they had an article on KH2! Here, I'll quote it word for word:

Kingdom Hearts 2, to sort out the chronology of the rapidly-expanding franchise, takes place some time after the events of Kingdom Hearts and its direct Game Boy Advance sequel, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. The three Tetsuya Nomura-designed lead characters -- Sora, Riku, and Kairi -- have grown up over the intervening years, looking round about 14 years old in the trailer. They're a bit taller, a bit more ordinarily proportioned, and their feet aren't quite so outlandishly huge anymore, the rest of their bodies having seemingly grown into them. 

The bad guys have changed a little as well, in the intervening years. The Heartless have been replaced by a different variety of faceless goons, an army of slender, taller munchkins colored a sickly gray. They're led by a familiar face, or lack thereof, the cloaked figure who appeared in the cave in the beginning of Kingdom Hearts, but there's still no more of an explanation regarding who or what that is. 

There are a lot of black cloaks going around in this game, which adds to the confusion. Sora, of course, has touched up his outfit with a new black jacket. At least two characters -- who seem like they might be Riku and Sora incognito -- spend some of the trailer hidden under black cowls. Riku (or someone looking rather like him) gets a brief solo moment dueling with yet another black-cloaked figure, a mad-looking fellow with spiky red hair (the twin Keyblades in this scene obviously recall the Deep Dive omake video from the original game). And of course, Mickey Mouse makes his Yoda-esque appearance towards the end, cleaning house with his own Keyblade in hand. 

One oddity in the Kingdom Hearts 2 preview is the selection of settings on display. The Game Boy Advance sequel obviously revisits locations made familiar by the original game -- Traverse Town, Agrabah, Olympus Colosseum, and so forth. In the case of Kingdom Hearts 2, on the other hand, we've only seen original settings so far. There's a towering castle in one sequence, where Sora, Donald, and Goofy battle the new things-which-are-not-Heartless, and another series of quiet scenes set on the rooftops of an expansive city, but no areas that look to be recognizably drawn from the Disney canon. 

The PS2 sequel is well further off than it GBA cousin, though. While Chain of Memoriesis due in 2004, Kingdom Hearts 2 is off the release boards as yet, leaving it plenty of time to gradually take shape. The first trailer contains only few seconds that could even possibly represent gameplay, so we can hope for the best when it comes to cleaning up the original's flaws, and look forward to an inevitably excellent visual display regardless. 

For more info, go to [ h t t p : / / w w w . 1 u p . c o m / a r t i c l e 2 / 0 , 4 3 6 4 , 1 3 1 0 3 0 5 , 0 0 . a s p ]. 

Isn't that cool? 

~{DISCLAIMER}~ 

I don't own KH, KH2, or EGM. But I own my chibis! Muwahahahaha!

All Chibis: *groan*

Chibi Riku: That's what we're afraid of.

Chibi Ranma: You don't own me though!

Soraoathkeeper: *shifty eyes* Yes I do!

Chibi Ranma: Nuh uhn! Ranma ½ is a trademark of VIZ, LLC. All rights reserved. No unauthorized reproduction allowed! 

Soraoathkeeper: *****sigh*** **All right, all right, I don't own anything. But someday, I will rule the world! And everything will be mine! All mine! Bwahahahahahaha!

Chibi Riku: Yeah, I know, it's a hard life living with Soraoathkeeper, trying to stay sane, but we put up with it.

~{REVIEWS}~

~Tobokerukumori~

Here's the next chapter! Thanks for the great praise! They really made me feel good. So, I hope you enjoyed this chappie!

You get a………ummm………well………a free coupon! To have whatever you want! (Kinda outta ideas right now………^_^;)

~Heather Christi ~

Hi! Umm, sorry to disappoint you, but still no action. *sigh* I'm defiantly not a very good action writer.………oh well. Another thing to add to my long lists of things to work on………

You get a free coupon! Turn it in for whatever prize you want!

~ImageEmpress~

          Arabian nights………sorry. So, thanks for the compliment! I changed the lyrics on Chapter 5; hope it's better. Thanks again for reviewing!

          You get a free coupon! I have lots!

~Alana Hikari-Chan~

          Hey! It's the author of Experimental! She's reviewing my story! Wow! Cool! Yeah, it isn't working very well, so now I'm reverting to looking at my reviews from the website. Really? I'll have to think on how to make Promises interesting………what are tags? I'll try making it flow. And I love Experimental, so I review it! Arigato gozaimasu!

          You get TWO free coupons! Cool huh?

~Black-Rose 72~

          Hey! How are you? *gasp* You did??!! You added me     to you favorites list?!! Wow! Thanks so much! Thank you for the kind words too!

          You also get a coupon! Surprise, surprise!

Arigato Gozaimasu!

~{UPDATES}~

          I have been getting some reviews over the confusion about the first three chapters. The first three chapters are the prologue. They are basically dreams that prompt the three friends into starting their journey to find each other. Sorry for confusing you guys.

          I have also become obsessed with Inu-Yasha (like so many other things). I also love the Sonic X American TV Show Theme Song. Faster, faster, fasterfasterfaster Sonic X! Ahem. Sorry. I am a supporter of Kim/Ron fics for Kim Possible and now a supporter of Lizzie/Gordo fics for Lizzie Maguire (although the only episodes I've seen of both TV shows is movies for both of them and the advice column for Lizzie Maguire. *sniff* So sweet!) I have also learned more Japanese! Yay! ^___^  So, that's my life in a nutshell. See ya later!

~Soraoathkeeper~   


	7. A Promised Journey: Shards of the Mirror

****

**Koniichiwa minna-san. It is I, Soraoathkeeper, back from the dead. At long last I can finally say...SCHOOL'S OVER!!!!! Yay!!! I got out of school on the 14th (well, graduated from middle school) and have been working on this ever since. I have finally gotten my thoughts in order and have written an outline for this story. I know exactly what Riku and Kairi are going to be doing, and I have a pretty good idea for what Sora is too. This is going to be a pretty long story (the longest I've ever written). Now that I know exactly what's going to be happening and now that I have much more time to write it, my chapters should be getting out sooner, assuming that I don't get sidetracked and work on another story. I will be updating Sacrifice soon too, although I'm at a standstill right now.  
  
The format for Riku's chapter will be a dream in the beginning (to sorta set the mood I guess) and the actual action afterwards. That's why the beginning paragraphs are italicized. The author's notes, updates, disclaimer and the reviewer's responses are all in bold, while the actual real time story are in plain text. Yep, I'm back with a whole new format. After reading all of Rem-chan's (one of my idols and one of the best authors I've seen) Kingdom Hearts stories, I have come back with a hopefully better style of writing. This fic is not a songfic, but sometimes there will be a certain song that attains with the mood. If there is one that I find, instead of putting the lyrics in the story, I'll put a recommended song to listen too. Chances are that if I do have a song in mind, it can be found on Yahoo! Launch as a video, since that's where I listen to all my music. The songs are free to listen to if you're a member, so check it out.  
  
What else...oh yeah. Ukir is my original character, sort of. There's actually a "joke" about him, and it's really important with the plot. Hehehehe...  
  
Okay, I'll leave you alone now. Remember I'm still very new at writing battles, and this is a very new format for me, so don't blame me. Well...enjoy!**  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
**PROMISES  
** **A PROMISED JOURNEY: SHARDS OF THE MIRROR**  
  
_Riku made his way to the small adjacent island with the paupo tree, running as fast as he could. It was finally here, the time where he and his friends would get off this dreaded island and be free to explore the worlds. Excitement welled up inside him, burning and pouring into his heart like molten lava. He paid no heed to the scurrying black things that plagued the island, hopping here and there, like shadows waiting in the dark. He ignored the huge black core that hung right above Destiny Islands, sucking everything on the island into oblivion. And he took no notice of the storm that had sprung up, all in his haste to get to the island. In fact, the reason he came over to Destiny Islands was out of concern for the raft, but as soon as he stepped foot on the dock to tie up his boat he felt it. A force, older and far more powerful than anything that he had ever seen or felt before. And in that instant he knew that this was what was going to get them off the island.  
  
He didn't have to wait long for the others. Sora arrived next, fearful and panting, asking him what was going on.  
  
"Riku!"  
  
He made no noise, choosing instead to look at the sea and imagining what lay beyond the mass of water.  
  
{Soon...}  
  
"Riku? Where's Kairi? I thought she was with you!"  
  
"The door has opened...", he whispered.  
  
Sora took a step back, confused. "What?"  
  
Riku turned around, his excitement overflowing. "The door has opened Sora! Now we can go to the outside world!"  
  
Sora's eyes widened, frightened. "What are you talking about? We've got to find Kairi-"  
  
Riku cut him off. "Kairi's coming with us!" He looked at the sea again. He had always loved the sea, with its ever-shifting mood, and would miss it when they were gone, but that seemed trivial compared to what he would see in the other worlds. "Once we step through...we might not be able to come back." He faced Sora again, noting that he looked scared. "We may never be able to see our parents again. There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us!"  
  
He spun around to look at the horizon and brought his hands to his mouth, shouting.  
  
"I'm not afraid of the darkness!"  
  
Blackness engulfed him. Riku could hear Sora shouting his name, but it seemed so far away...  
  
He held out his hand, inviting Sora to join him, to share his journey, to come with him, to other worlds. The darkness licked at his pants, climbing higher and higher, like the flames of down under. Sora bit his lip, and at the last minute decided to come with him. Reaching out, he tried to grab his hand, but it was too late. Sora faded and Riku spun into the darkness, his excitement replaced by worry and fear...where was he going? Where was Sora? The darkness hung over him as he continued his journey down...suffocating him and slowly choking out his life...  
_  
Riku struggled to the top of the cliff, sweat dripping down the side of his face. Who knew there was so much landscape in Behind the Door? Gasping, he finally made it to the outcropping that Ukir was perched upon. Ukir immediately looked away, turning his head to look down into a small duffel bag with the strange crest of the Heartless, and producing a bottle of water. He offered it to Riku, but Riku swatted it away, forcing himself to take deep breaths and ignore his burning thirst. Ukir shrugged, and put it away. Even though Ukir had looked away when he came, Riku knew exactly what he was doing. Watching. Of course, you never knew where he was looking, as a blindfold covered his eyes. The only indication was where his head was positioned. Even then, you could never really be sure. But Riku knew he had been watching him, like he had the days before. Riku always knew. It was that prickly feeling on the back of his neck that gave it away as Ukir had looked down upon him. It was something that had helped him survive in Behind the Door. A trait that had carried over in his heart. It was a tiny bit of character that had lasted to serve him now. It was from the Before.  
  
Riku estimated that it had been about week since they had met in the city. They had immediately left and started to journey into the Beyond. But on that first night they had settled down to camp, a dream, no, a nightmare had occurred, stronger than any he had had before. It was so strong that it had made him scream and wake up, breathing hard. Ukir had been awake, taking the first watch, and hurried quickly over to his side, asking what was wrong. Riku had shaken it off at first, saying that it was a bad dream, but Ukir had forced him to tell what it was about. Reluctantly, he told him. Ukir had become silent at first, spacing out for a minute and becoming glassy eyed. But just when Riku was about to ask what was wrong, Ukir had told him to remember all of the dreams that he might have, and to tell them to him. They were a key, he had said, to getting out of here. So Riku remembered. At first, he was awkward with it, often forgetting many parts. Furthermore, he didn't like the idea of telling all of his dreams to Ukir. It was like Ukir was counseling him and Riku was telling him private things, which Riku hated to even think about. He didn't want to be thought of weak and needing to confide in someone. But as time went on, he grew more open to telling Ukir his dreams, and started to remember more and more of them. After all, the only thing that Ukir did when he told him the dreams was grunt and move on. And, he reflected, it wasn't so bad. It did sort of help him a little bit. It was like a routine. In a life that could change at any moment, it helped to have at least one thing to be counted on.  
  
Since then, Riku had not found out anything else about his companion, except that he never slept, always took first watch, and that he seemed to be gauging him. He didn't know what he was looking for, but he was determined to prove that he was worth taking along.  
  
He was jolted from his thoughts when Ukir shook him. "What is it?" asked Riku, annoyed at being interrupted. Ukir turned to look at him.  
  
"I sense Heartless."  
  
Riku stared at him for a full minute before the message actually reached his brain. "What!? Heartless?! Now?!?"  
  
Ukir searched through the bag at his side, and produced a blade. It was shaped like a wing of some sort of darkness creature..._a bat_, Riku remembered suddenly. The inside of the wing was red, and the bone that supported was a deep, dark blue. The handle was long and thin, located where the bone of the wing would normally join up with the body. A glass blue eye was positioned just before the bone gave way to the hilt. It stared at Riku mockingly. It's so....familiar...Riku thought. In a dream-like trance he reached out to touch it...  
  
...only to touch air. Ukir had moved away at the last second, paying no attention to Riku's failing attempts to grab the hilt. "The Heartless are coming this way. From the feeling I'm getting, there's about seven of them." Ukir announced.  
  
"Oh great, just what we need. Another party of seven, up for order." Riku snorted, forgetting all about the dragon blade for trying to summon his two Keyblades.  
  
"Well, we might as well serve them." Ukir replied, shifting into a battle stance.  
  
"One extra-large order of extreme Heartless slashing, coming right up." Riku smirked, finally succeeding in summoning his Keyblades. Ukir stood still, tense and hardly breathing, waiting for the correct time to attack. Riku lounged around a bit, but inside, he was just as tense and ready as Ukir.  
  
"Get ready..." Ukir whispered so faintly that Riku had to strain to hear him.  
  
The Heartless came up over the ledge blow them. There were seven of them, just as Ukir had predicted. Three were Shadow Heartless, the scouts, shifting around nervously and using their shadow powers to sink into the ground and scurry about. They were the first ones to appear. Two Soldiers were next, looking left to right for any sudden attacks. Behind them were two Invisibles, guarding something, their swords at ready. Riku shifted to get a better look at the thing that the Invisibles were guarding...  
  
A rock tumbled down from where Riku was standing, landing right at an Invisible's feet.  
  
The Heartless stiffened and looked up.  
  
"Nice going Sherlock" Ukir whispered in Riku's ear.  
  
Noticing them and recognizing that they were intruders, the Heartless ran toward them, charging.  
  
Immediately, Riku and Ukir went into action. Jumping down from their cliff, they drew their weapons and prepared to give it their all.  
  
"Riku, take out the Shadows and the Soldiers!" Ukir yelled.  
  
"No problem." Riku grinned devilishly. He then landed and immediately made his way to the charging Soldiers, while the Shadows stayed underground, running away.  
  
"....I'll take care of the Invisibles." Ukir smiled evilly. The Invisibles were bunched up into a group, with the thing in the middle. Their swords were drawn menacingly. Jumping over Riku and his 'prey', he parried the first move while dodging the second. He thrust his blade into the first Invisible. It was knocked back, but quickly recovered and thrust its blade into the ground. Ukir, noticing this, gulped and quickly went back to fighting the second Invisible by using his blade to knock away another attack. He had seen this type of Heartless before, a long, long time ago, and knew what it could do to unsuspecting warriors. In the distance, he could hear Riku howl in agony. Sure enough, a ring of black fire surrounded his head, closing in and out, faster and faster. Ukir parried the third Invisible's attack while forcing his blade into the second Invisible. It parried, and Ukir's blade was knocked from his hand and skidded across the ground. The third Invisible slashed downwards, aiming for his head, but Ukir rolled out of the way just in time, avoiding it. The black fire came closer and closer, but just before it closed completely Ukir slid out of the way, grabbing his dragon blade and avoiding the attack in one fluid motion. The fire disintegrated into blackness as the Invisible came out and grabbed its blade. It charged at Ukir, catching him off guard. Ukir struggled to get out of the way, but the Invisible was too quick. A four- inch gash appeared on the side of his coat. Luckily, at the last minute, he twisted out of the attack, but the Invisible had done damage. Ukir could feel the blood dripping down, but ignored it and instead concentrated on defeating his enemies. Gritting his teeth, he began to draw power in order to use his magic.  
  
Meanwhile, Riku was occupied with the Shadows and the Soldiers. He had already killed off one of the Soldiers and two Shadows by catching them by surprise when he jumped down, but that still left one Soldier and two more Shadows. The Soldier spun around and charged, as graceful as a ballerina.  
  
_...ballerina..._Riku's eyes glazed over. _...dancing...gracefully...?_  
  
Sudden pain made him snap out of his trance. A Shadow had materialized out of the round and slashed with sharp claws at his leg when he was remembering. Riku howled and whirled around, striking with his Keyblades as hard as he could. The Shadow burst into dark flames as he jumped over another attack from the Soldier. Catching the Heartless by surprise, he spun around in a 360-degree angle, diminishing the remaining Soldier and Shadow. Smiling smugly, he looked to see how Ukir was doing.  
  
Ukir had gathered enough power to use his magic. He quickly brought his cupped hands together and aimed it at the ground. He concentrated on emotion, for he knew that emotion fed magic and power. Fear and anger were powerful ones, and he needed power. Deciding to go with fear, he closed his eyes and concentrated on finding a fearful memory.  
  
...spun into the darkness, his excitement replaced by worry and fear...where was he going?...The darkness hung over him as he continued his journey down...suffocating him and slowly choking out his life...  
  
Opening his eyes, he concentrated on that feeling and shouted.  
  
"FEAR'S TREMOR!!!!!!!!!"  
  
It was deathly silent. Riku looked around, trying to see what the spell activated. Ukir stared at the remaining Invisibles, never taking his eyes off of them.  
  
The Invisibles, waiting a second and seeing nothing happened, let their guard down and approached Ukir.  
  
All of a sudden, the Invisibles stopped, shaking. It started from the center of their chest and spread from there, like ripples from a stone. The shaking got worse and worse until all of the Invisibles burst open, their inhuman screams echoing throughout the mountains. Riku winced at the sound, and dismissed his Keyblades. He turned to ask Ukir how he did that piece of magic. "Hey...what?"  
  
Ukir was staring at something a little to the left of him, right where the Invisibles had disappeared. Riku turned to look at whatever it was...  
  
It was the thing that the Invisibles were guarding. But not an inanimate object as Riku first thought, but something living...  
  
A Heartless.  
  
Riku had never seen anything like this Heartless. Granted, he hadn't recovered all of his memories, but this thing didn't look even slightly familiar. It glowed a pale blue, giving it the appearance of a divine being, had it not been for the crest of the Heartless that rested on its chest. The upper body looked fairly human like, a girl, Riku noted, but where the hips would normally be there was...nothing. Like a ghost, there was just a trace of shape an inch above the ground, but it was thin and unreal, like mist. The long silver hair reached to the middle of its back. There was no mouth, no nose, no ears on its pale blue skin. The only facial feature was the eyes. Glowing white, they were blank and almond-shaped. But the thing that drew Riku's attention was the thing that appeared to be stuck on its forehead. Long and thin, it was like a sliver, of what, Riku didn't know. It shimmered slightly, and Riku could feel it calling to him...  
  
"I have never seen any Heartless like this", Ukir whispered, with a tinge of fear in his voice. "I have never seen anything that looks even remotely like that. In fact, I would say it that it wasn't a Heartless at all, if it wasn't for the crest."  
  
"Well, whatever it is, I don't think that it has seen us yet." Riku whispered back. Indeed, the Heartless looked very scared, as it was looking from left to right, jumping at every shadow. It must not be very observant, Riku thought. Even though the Heartless was a mere ten feet away, it hadn't noticed them.  
  
"We might be able to catch it by surprise and gain the upper hand. When I give the signal, start sneaking in a circle towards its left side. I'll go the opposite way, so that when we meet up..."  
  
"-it'll be caught between us!" Riku realized.  
  
"Right. Now, wait for the signal..." Ukir shifted into position. The Heartless, seeing something out of the corner of its eye, turned to look at Ukir.  
  
Riku sighed. There goes the plan. And Ukir thought he was impatient.  
  
The Heartless started to walk slowly and cautiously towards them, glowing a brighter blue until it began to blind them.  
  
Ukir, seeing that a surprise attack was useless, drew his blade which he had sheathed after the Invisibles had disappeared and charged at the Heartless. Riku followed suit. The Heartless was taken aback for a minute, but stood still. Riku and Ukir slashed it both at the same time, and both bounced back, falling on the ground. Ukir flipped back and landed on the ground, crouching, while Riku, too stunned to react, slid headfirst into the dirt. "What happened?!" he yelled, spitting out dirt.  
  
"There's some sort of barrier around it that's stopping us from attacking!" Ukir yelled back.  
  
Riku got up and sprang toward the Heartless again. A shield shimmered around the Heartless, and Riku crashed right into it. He lid down the shield until he reached the bottom, in which he repeated the action. "It's no use Riku! Don't waste your energy!" Ukir shouted. Riku stopped, panting.  
  
Ukir looked at the Heartless, studying it. _{Well, if physical attacks won't work against it, maybe magic attacks will...}_. Tiredly, he began drawing power for another attack, deciding to go with a simple attack instead of a complex one. He had exhausted most of his magic energy using the last attack anyway. He held his blade level at the beast, both hands gripping the hilt so hard that his knuckles turned white.  
  
"FIRE!!!"  
  
A burst of flame the size of a ball erupted from the end of his blade, aiming at the Heartless. It hit the chest of the creature...and bounced back, this time heading for Ukir. His eyes widened, and he quickly ducked, the flame singing his hair as it passed over him. The flame hit the mountain and burst apart.  
  
"Now what?!" Riku asked anxiously. "That Heartless wasn't even touched by any of our attacks!" And indeed, the Heartless was just standing there, unfazed by all that went around it. Although it was attacking, Riku wasn't taking any chances of letting it come after him.  
  
Still, he felt like he was missing something, some vital key to defeating this creature. Although the barrier was strong enough to bounce back all of their attacks, he couldn't see what was causing it. In fact, he couldn't even see what was holding them back at all. The only clue to where the shield extended was the shimmering it did when something hit it.  
  
_Shimmering........._  
  
Riku's eyes widened. That was it! The key to defeating it! "Ukir! On the count of three, attack the marking on the forehead with everything you got!"  
  
Ukir readied his blade immediately, trusting in Riku. After all, what else was there to do? "Ready!"  
  
"One..." Riku shifted into position, "Two..." Ukir aimed at the shimmering marking...  
  
"THREE!!!"  
  
Riku and Ukir sprang toward the marking, weapons at ready. They slashed at the exact same spot, feeling the shield give way. The Heartless screamed, sending shivers up Riku's spine. It stumbled back and stared at Riku with its inhuman blank eyes before it split in two, both halves disappearing into nothing. A shattered crystal heart wafted up into the darkness. And where the Heartless had disappeared, something shone brightly, calling to Riku.  
  
Riku stooped down and picked it up, dismissing his Keyblades. He recognized it as the marking on the Heartless' head. It gleamed when he touched it, pulsing like a heartbeat. It looked like a shard of something, as it was about the size of his thumb. He polished it on his raincoat, making it shine all the brighter. It reflected his face, making Riku notice how exhausted and tired he felt and looked.  
  
Ukir stopped at his side, looking out, towards where the Heartless had come from. "Well, that was an...unexpected encounter. I had not expected for that to happen." He looked down at Riku and noticed the object in his hand. "What's that that you have there?"  
  
"I'm not sure." Riku told him.  
  
Ukir held out his hand, and Riku reluctantly dropped the shard into it. The shard stopped pulsing for a minute, only to come back, more weakly than before. Ukir frowned and bent his head over it to examine it. Riku smirked at his companion, secretly reveling in his inapt ability to make the shard shine bright.  
  
"It looks like a shard of some type of mirror." Ukir said finally, handing the shard back to Riku. The shard immediately began to glow bright, but Riku didn't notice, concentrating instead on remembering what a mirror was. Shiny, he knew, and reflective. Where was it used...? Oh yeah, for small mirrors and walls.  
  
Riku heard a soft thump, and spun around. Ukir was sprawled out on the floor, apparently asleep by the way he was positioned and the way he was breathing. Riku had never seen him sleep, but then again he had worn himself out by using that much magic. Riku decided to let him sleep. _In fact,_ he thought, _sleep sounds good right now. Very good_...His eyes slowly closed as he curled up into a ball, still clutching the shard tightly. In no time at all, he was asleep, snoring softly, as the shard of the mirror shone brightly, a beacon in the dark.  
  
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**Well? How did you like it? Now that you've read it, I can tell you what Riku's going to be doing. His mission is to find all of the shards, because it holds an important key to getting out of Behind the Door. And again, sorry if the battle scene sucked. Oh yeah, Riku and Ukir are a little out of character in this chapter(even though Ukir is mine...sort of), especially with the whole 'serving the Heartless' and stuff, but I just couldn't resist.  
  
Next is a Kairi chapter. She will also be seeing a lot of action, although not as much as Riku, if everything goes the way I think it will go. In fact, the only person who won't see much action is Sora. Right now, Sora is the person who I'm having trouble with, but I'm sure things will clear up soon.**

**{DISCLAIMER}  
  
I don't own anything. Nothing. But I do own...um...my brain? I mean the rocks where my brain used to be. And even then Sora steals them every once in a while.**

**{REVIEWS}  
  
/Muslina/  
  
Domo arigato gozaimasu for reading and reviewing!! I think I told you this before, but your story Steel Eyes is magnificent! You should update too! (yes, I'm a hypocrite. Hehehe.)  
  
For your wonderful review, you get a shard of the mirror! It glows in the dark and has its own...mysterious powers. Hint hint.  
  
/JillyBean3/  
  
Hehehe. :beams: Thank you very much! I'm so happy to know that you like my story, and hopefully, you'll like this one too, with it's IMPROVED format!  
  
You get a five-inch model of the new type of Heartless for your review! You can even make a barrier around you and the Heartless if you press the marking on its forehead!  
  
Okay, listen up all you people who reviewed last time and got a free coupon. You can take any of the following prizes. One coupon equals one prize. Okay sooo...here they are:  
  
Dragon Blade **

**Black Rosethorn Keyblade **

**Dark Ultima Keyblade **

**Kairi's Staff **

**Ultima Keyblade  
  
Take your pick! The Black Rosethorn Keyblade and the Dark Ultima Keyblade are the Keyblades that Riku has. If you forgot what they look like(I did, and I made them up!) look back at chapter four, where we first meet real Riku.  
  
Once again, thank you to all reviewers and readers!  
  
{UPDATES} a.k.a. {MY LIFE}  
  
Okay, first off, I'm very, very, very sorry for the long wait.  
  
My life: I've been collecting Naruto, Bleach, Yuyu Hakusho and Fruits Basket manga. My personal favorites are Naruto and Fruits Basket. I even made a new chibi, Chibi Kyo Sohma, after Fruits Basket. He's my favorite character. Schools out, and I'll be starting high school next year. For once in my life, I'm excited about starting school. I'll be taking Japanese next year (hopefully). I can't wait! Finally, my dream is coming true. The T.V. shows that I've become attached to are Danny Phantom and Teen Titians. I am a full supporter of Beast Boy/Raven, and hope to write a few stories about them. And Danny Phantom is just cool. Period. Shrek 2 was sooo funny. I saw it twice with my family. And I can't wait until Spiderman 2 comes out this Wednesday. We moved a few weeks ago too. Since my uncle is single, and our old house is really small, we're switching houses with him, since we're a family of five and he lives in a big house. I was firmly against it at first, but now that we're here, it's not that bad. I've also started to collect favorite quotes of mine, from different fics and other sites. At the end of the story I'll give you a quote of the week. Sometimes it has to do with the story, sometimes it doesn't. Quotes are fun. I like figuring out the hidden meanings within them, and comparing them with other people. The thing that really intrigues me it that the meaning can be different for everybody, and means different things to different people. Most of these quotes aren't mine, although I have made a few of my own. And that's my life. Hope yours is a great one too. Signing off!  
  
Soraoathkeeper  
  
{QUOTE OF THE WEEK}  
  
_"And the light shineth in darkness..."_ St. John, 1:5  
From Rem-chan's story To Light A Candle **


	8. A Promised Journey: A New Toy

**Wow, we're already at the eighth chapter! I can't believe it! Well, this is a Kairi chapter, once again. Next will be a Sora chapter, although I'm still not sure what I'm going to be doing with him, so expect some delay before the next chapter. Speaking of which, I got this one up pretty fast didn't I? :beams, proud of herself: Hehehe...well, I didn't get any reviews, but I didn't really expect any really. It's my own fault, sorta, for not updating this in a while. Well, partly my fault and partly glares school's fault. But I'm past that now, for three, wonderfully free months. There is someone up there.  
  
I think I went a little overboard with the descriptions of all of the characters that show up in this chapter. They're there just in case for you people who don't know where she is (can't say much now with out ruining the story, see author's notes at end of chapter).  
  
Beginning is a dream, like Riku's chapter, but I think I'll put this just for this chapter. Okay, well, I won't delay you any longer. Bye!  
**  
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**PROMISES**

**A PROMISED JOURNEY: A NEW TOY**

_"...hello?"  
  
Kairi turned around and smiled at the blue-eyed boy behind her.  
  
"Hello Sora."  
  
She reached out to him, but he stepped back, eyes wide and fearful.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
Those words, three little innocent words if they hadn't just come out of one of her best friend's mouth, pierced her heart, like a thousand burning needles.  
  
"Don't you remember me?" she stepped closer, getting angrier with each passing moment, not noticing or caring that the boy in front of her continued to step back from her. "The girl who you grew up with on Destiny Islands? The girl who is-was one of your best friends who wanted to come with you to the other worlds?" Kairi was shouting, tears streaming down her face. Suddenly, she stopped moving, just staring at the boy. Softly, ever so softly, she whispered, "The one who you promised to come back for?"_  
  
"Whoa whoa, just hold on a minute! First of all, just who is this Sora guy?"  
  
Kairi opened her eyes groggily. Blinking, she winced as bright light streamed into her eyes. Slowly, blurred images became clear as her eyes got used to her surroundings. Concerned and confused faces encircled her, all looking down at her in worry.  
  
Kairi sat up, groaning and rubbing the back of her head. "Owww...what happened? Where am I?"  
  
"You're asking us?" A large pink...pig, yes, pig, spoke up, staring at her. She had seen pigs at the farms on Destiny Island, but never one as big as this. Only a little shorter than her, the pig was sitting on its hind legs. It looked like it was made of plastic, like a kid's toy. A wide slit was centered on its back, and when the pig moved, it made a jangling sound, like the sound of loose change. Sarcastic black dots blinked at her quizzically. Weird, very weird, Kairi thought.  
  
Kairi definitely knew she wasn't in Destiny Islands anymore.  
  
"I think you're scaring her Ham. Is that any way to greet a new toy?" A voice came to her left. Kairi looked and saw a pretty girl in an old fashioned dress, a little taller than her. The dress reminded Kairi of the ballroom dresses that she and Selphie had often dreamed about wearing. The bottom looked like an upside-down umbrella covered in pink polka dots. The top was a pale white with puffy pink sleeves that reached halfway to her elbows. She held a light blue cane in her hand, which came up to her neck and curved inwards, like half of a spiral. Her skin was pale, very pale, and as smooth as china. Twinkling blue eyes looked at her, concerned. A pink bonnet covered her head, but a few stray blonde curls peeked out.  
  
"Well, it's her own fault. I mean, no box, no tag, no nothin'. Just a flash of bright light from the toy box and poof! She appears! How are we supposed to trust her? Especially with all those ghost thingamajiggers poppin' up everywhere... ", a potato shaped thing said from her right. It was about the same size as the pig, only standing upward. Its spindly arms with white gloves rested on its 'hips', its overlarge blue shoes tapping the floor impatiently. The thing looked like to be made of the same material as the pig. A large, busy mustache decorated the thing's upper lip, right under its ridiculously large nose, making Kairi conclude that this thing was a boy. Some sort of black hat was perched on his bald head, right above large pink ears that stuck straight out from the thing's body. His irises were black and right now, they were confused and frustrated, his fierce black eyebrows only enhancing the glare he directed at Kairi.  
  
That suspicious look made Kairi remember her manners. But just as she opened her mouth to introduce herself, a new voice spoke up.  
  
"What's the problem guys?"  
  
Kairi craned her head back to see who was talking and found herself staring into friendly brown eyes. A long and lanky...sheriff, Kairi read as she examined his badge, stood there, looking down at her. He had a brown cowboy hat on that covered his brown wavy hair. The sheriff wore faded blue jeans and a gold long-sleeved shirt with red crisscrossed lines. A cowhide vest rested over it and ended an inch above a brown leather belt that held up his pants. The man's clunky brown cowboy boots ended at his calves, the bright gold spur at each end twirling slightly. White buttons adorned the front and the sleeves of his shirt, right underneath the kerchief that hung from his neck. A smile creased the corners of his mouth, reassuring and welcoming.  
  
To his left and right stood what seemed to be an astronaut (she had seen them in picture books that her foster parents gave her) and a dog (Wakka had owned one on the island). Mentally shaking her head to rid her of homesickness, she proceeded to examine the newcomers.  
  
The astronaut was obviously concerned about Kairi's appearance. He stood a full sheriff's head (the sheriff had a larger than normal head) shorter than the latter. His suit was primarily white, black attaching the torso to the body and the arms to the shoulder joints. Green stripes decorated the backs of his palms, the tips of his toes, the ankles, the back of his forearms and around his lower body, while two purple stripes crisscrossed his chest and lined his knuckles. The soles of his shoes were also purple. On his chest there seemed to be some sort of green chest plate. A large red button was positioned on his left breast, while three red, blue and green oval buttons were stationed on the right. In the center, a pair of small white wings stood out from a blue background as some sort of symbol. Another smaller red button was on his right forearm, with some sort of words on top of it. Kairi squinted to read them, but she couldn't make them out. All that you could see of the man's body was his head. A purple hood covered his hair. Confident blue eyes stared at her from a handsome face with a square jaw. But right now, those eyes were clearly saying to Kairi that they wanted to know who she was and what she was doing here.  
  
The dog on the opposite side of the astronaut was cute, in a mischievous sort of way. Long and skinny, the little dog only came up waist high to the sheriff. He was tan all over, with leathery dark brown ears that flopped every which way. A long pale snout extended from his head, ending in a little black nose. A green collar with a yellow dog tag hung from his neck. His little black tail was wagging slowly, as if it was in deep thought. But the weirdest thing about this creature was that in between his hind legs and the front part of the dog's body was some sort of coiled metal rope.  
  
"W-we don't know Woody! This girl just came out of nowhere! What are we supposed to do?" The last voice exclaimed. It was a green dinosaur, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, Kairi remembered from her picture books. Scaly rough skin covered the creature from its long tail and three toed black nails to its oversized head. Small black eyes were positioned over the T-rex's long muzzle, which was filled with sharp white teeth. The under belly was a light tan. Although the dinosaur's appearance looked like his long gone ancestors, it was obvious that the T-Rex wasn't as fierce as his looks made him out to be. Constantly looking around and jumping at every shadow, the creature looked positively terrified.  
  
"First of all, you need to calm down Rex. We'll take this one step at a time, okay?" Woody chuckled, laying a comforting hand on the dinosaur's shoulder.  
  
"O-okay Woody. I'll try." 'Rex', as the cowboy had called him, took deep breaths, slowly calming down.  
  
"Good. Now, what's your name girl?" Woody turned and addressed Kairi for the first time.  
  
"O-oh. I'm sorry. My name is Kairi. I come from Destiny Islands. I'm sorry to have caused commotion here." Kairi stammered, blushing at her rudeness.  
  
"Don't be. I'm Woody. This is Rex," he pointed to the dinosaur, "Slinky, Mr. Potato Head, Bo and Hamm" He said, pointing to the dog, the potato head, the girl and the pig all in turn.  
  
"Hey, good to meet you." Slinky said, wagging his tail.  
  
"Yeah, yeah." Mr. Potato Head grumbled.  
  
"Erm...hi." Rex stammered.  
  
"How are you?" Bo smiled kindly.  
  
"Eh, nice to meet you too." Hamm shrugged indifferently.  
  
"And this," Woody announced, gesturing to the astronaut beside him, "is Buzz Lightyear."  
  
"Hello." Buzz said stiffly.  
  
"If you didn't know, he's a Space Ranger from the Universal Protection Program. He's stationed in the Gamma Quadrant of Section Four." Woody whispered mischievously to Kairi.  
  
Unfortunately for Woody, Buzz just happened to overhear, and pushed Woody playfully. "Oh come off it already Woody!" he said, blushing. "You know as well as I do that that's all just a load of baloney." Kairi giggled at the site of the two best friends teasing each other. They reminded her of Riku and Sora back on the island, always teasing and competing with each other, but still best friends nonetheless.  
  
Kairi was brought back to her mission by those thoughts. "Umm, I'm sorry for interrupting, but have you seen a spiky brown haired boy, about this tall," she indicated with her hands, "with blue eyes? Or a silver haired boy that's a little taller than me, with aqua eyes? I'm searching for them."  
  
The boys stopped fighting. "No, I can't say I have." said Woody, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "You're the newest toy that Andy's gotten for months."  
  
"Toy? Andy?" Kairi asked, confused.  
  
"Oh, sorry, forgot to tell you. Welcome to..." Woody waved his hand around at the scene around him, "Andy's Room!!!"  
  
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Kairi stretched and yawned. Making sure that Andy wasn't around, she hopped down from the toy box, where she had been sleeping for the past three days. She had learned rapidly during that period of time, finding out that she couldn't be seen moving when Andy, the owner of all these 'toys', was around; discovering that when he was there, she had to keep absolutely still; and when he came back, she must be in position at the same place where he had left her. She had fit remarkably well in with the rest of the toys, banishing all the doubts that any of the toys had before. She played checkers with Slinky (usually he beat her, but she was getting better), competed with Rex at video games (she had never seen anything like this type of magic on the island), participated in cards with Hamm and Mr. Potato Head (she was remarkably well at go fish, having passed time playing it more than once on the island), talked with Woody about the world in general (he was immensely curious about her world, having been outside a few times himself, and she was the same about his), braided hair with Bo (she knew how to do a French braid!), helped Rex with his 'dinosaurhood' (he was really trying, but somehow couldn't get the roar just right), and told Buzz about the technology in her world (he often asked her to teach him how to perform magic, but so far he wasn't really good). Yes, she was happy here, but with each passing day she grew more restless, wondering where Sora and Riku were. Although she rejoiced at making new friends, the realization that she wasn't doing anything weighed heavily on her conscience.  
  
"Hey Kairi, wanna play checkers? This time, I'm red!" Slinky said, snapping her out of her thoughts. He grinned triumphantly, glad that he had called red first this time.  
  
Kairi glanced up at the dog, who was currently up on the bed, looking down on her. "No thanks Slink, not this time."  
  
Slinky whined a little, for he loved playing with Kairi and teaching her the rules. She loved the game almost as much as he did, and was improving quickly, managing to beat him once or twice and amazing him with some really clever moves that even he didn't notice.  
  
Kairi, hearing the whining, smiled at Slinky. "But I heard that Woody is bored..."  
  
The toy instantly perked up and bounded off the bed. He immediately started to look for the cowboy. "Thanks Kairi! I haven't played him for some time, and now I bet I can beat him, from playing all those times with you! See ya later!" The dog yelled back to the girl, already gone in his pursuit for someone to play with.  
  
The girl moved on, mulling over her biggest problem. Before she had been introduced Mr. Potato Head had said something about 'ghosts' being around. She hadn't pressed the matter at first, having only been introduced, but now that she felt more comfortable around him, she had resolved to ask him exactly what he meant.  
  
"Er, uh, hi Kairi. Are...are you busy?" A nervous voice interrupted her thoughts. Kairi turned around and saw Rex, twitching nervously.  
  
"Well, yeah, sorta. Sorry Rex." Kairi told him  
  
"O-oh, it's okay Kairi. I mean... you have things to do too, so..." Rex said hastily. He lingered there for a minute or two, hoping that she would change her mind.  
  
"Hey Rex, wanna play a video game with me?" Buzz asked, having overheard Kairi's predicament and knowing that she would probably help Rex if he stayed there long enough anyway, even though she was busy. Kairi flashed a grateful smile in his direction as the green dinosaur ran toward the table where Andy's video games were. Buzz waited a minute for Kairi first.  
  
"Thanks." she said appreciatively.  
  
"No problem. I know how Rex can be sometimes." Buzz replied, looking to make sure the T-Rex was out of earshot. He winced a little remembering how many times he wasn't able to say no to the green dinosaur.  
  
Kairi laughed. "Yeah. Well, if you excuse me, I have some business with Mr. Potato Head. Any chance you've seen him?" she asked hopefully.  
  
Buzz nodded toward the dresser. "Yeah, he said something about a rematch with Hamm. He's over there. Are you going to play cards with him?"  
  
Kairi shook her head, smiling. "No, I think I beat him badly enough last time I played. Actually, I wanted to ask him about something...that he said when we first met."  
  
A flicker of...doubt? Confusion?, flew across Buzz's face, but when Kairi looked closer, it had gone.  
  
"Hey Buzz, are you going to play or not?" called Rex from the table where he had set up the game. He waited impatiently for the space ranger, toe tapping on the floor.  
  
"Huh? Oh, yeah, coming!" Buzz yelled back. "Well, guess I'll see you later Kairi. Right now I have to beat Rex at Andy's fighting game." He told Kairi. She smiled and waved him away. He climbed up the table and began to play the video game, arguing heatedly with Rex as to which character was better to fight as. Kairi shook her head, thinking that she had probably imagined that look, and moved towards the dresser, intent on finding Mr. Potato Head.  
  
Deep in the shadows, catlike eyes narrowed and watched the red-haired girl make her way to the dresser.  
  
Kairi hummed absentmindedly as she slowly walked towards the dresser. Finally, she thought, I can get to the bottom of this.  
  
But just as she had reached the leg of the dresser, a claw with long sharp nails covered her mouth and yanked her into the shadows.  
  
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**Ooooo, cliffie! And you'll have to sit through two more chapters until you get to find out what happens! Muwahahaha!  
  
Anyway, yes, Kairi's first place on her little 'tour' is the Toy Story world! Yay! Timeline: Somewhere in between the end of the first movie and the beginning of the sequel. The toys are in their new house, Buzz and Woody are friends, but there's no Mrs. Potato Head and no dog, as seen in the epilogue of the first movie.  
  
Kairi's mission? Do what Sora did in the first Kingdom Hearts. Travel to different worlds, help with certain 'things' (can't and won't say here, you'll have to wait), search for her two best friends, etc, etc. Don't worry; all will become clear (I think). Short chapter, true, but this is a filler, a set-up chapter, if you will, for the next Kairi chapter.  
  
Speaking of chapters, Kairi will be visiting thirteen worlds in all. I think the average amount of time she'll spend in each world is two or three chapters. That alone makes this story around thirty something chapters. And that's not counting all of the wrapping up stuff that will happen in the end. Riku has about sixteen chapters to his name right now, and Sora I have no idea, only that it's more than thirteen chapters. Sooo...we have a long time ahead of us! I have no idea if I'll even make it to the tenth chapter, to tell you the truth. But I'll try. I've gotta update Sacrifice though, my Ayashi No Ceres fic. And I have about three Teen Titans fic ideas floating around in that space between my ears that I call a brain. That means......well, I don't really know. A long wait for the next chapter maybe. But the next chapter will come! Probably.  
  
{DISCLAIMER}  
  
I get nothing. I got nothing. Get it?  
  
{REVIEWS}  
  
None. My fault. And school's. Yeah. Please feed my hungry reviewer box.  
  
{UPDATES} a.k.a. {MY LIFE}  
  
Same as last time. I watched fireworks with my family at some airport. They were really pretty, but short. I have a great idea for a picture though. Well, see ya!  
  
Soraoathkeeper  
  
{QUOTE OF THE WEEK}  
  
"The real voyage of discovery consists, not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."**


End file.
